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Gay marriage coming out of south Florida

Examiner  May 21, 2012

The Floridian law currently states, same-sex marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships cannot be recognized. Despite Miami Beach's strong gay community being a strong one, the rest of Florida does not agree completely with the lifestyle. The current opinion in all of Florida on gay marriage is slowly becoming a mixed one.

According to a poll conducted in 2011, 67% of Floridian voters supported legal recognition for same-sex couples in the form of civil unions or same-sex marriage. Causing a stir for residents, in recent news, President Barack Obama supported same-sex marriage leaving many of his Black voters in South Florida unhappy. According to an article in SunSentinel.com,

Reaction To NAACP’s Same-Sex Marriage Endorsement

News Channel5  May 21, 2012

On Monday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is expected to fully endorse same-sex marriage, as well as the President's decision to do so.

But African American church pastors in Tennessee aren't jumping at the chance to support the nation's largest civil rights advocacy group.

"The Bible teaches that God has a design for men and women – and that a woman and a man are to be joined together and become husband and wife," said the Reverend Doctor Andrew Stephens, whose East Nashville church is known as The Village Church.

 "And the Bible makes no provisions for two men doing that, or two women doing that," Stephens added.

WWJD? Support the Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry

Democratic Underground  May 20, 2012

Many within the evangelical, Catholic and other Christian movements continue to argue against same-sex marriage on the grounds that it runs counter to New Testament teachings.

I've got two words for them: They're wrong.

Jesus of Nazareth was nothing if not inclusive. According to the gospel writers, he was repeatedly criticized for associating with "tax gatherers and sinners," and he was seldom portrayed as refusing a request to perform a sacred act.

In modern parlance, we call such acts "sacraments," sacred rites considered fundamental to the life of a religious assembly. The Catholic Church recognizes seven of them, but only four were actually practiced in Jesus' day: baptism, anointing of the sick, the Eucharist (communion) and matrimony (marriage). The other three - penance, holy orders/ordination and confirmation - were added later by the church. Jesus never talks about them or performs them. ...

Gay Republicans Encounter Same-Sex Marriage Dilemma

Huffington Post  May 20, 2012

Bill Jones is a 45-year-old gay Republican from Dallas. For the first time in his life, he's considering voting for a Democrat in a presidential election. Jones still doesn't agree with the Democrats on fiscal policy or the size of government, but last week his priorities shifted.

On May 9 President Barack Obama told ABC's Robin Roberts that he believed same-sex couples "should be able to get married." A day later, likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney affirmed his opposition to same-sex marriages and civil unions.

My big fat gay wedding - Christine Quinn weds long time partner Kim Catullo

Protest as govt cuts gay health funds

Brisbane Times May 20, 2012

A protest against the Queensland government’s decision to pull funding from a gay and lesbian health service is gathering support.

Healthy Communities is best remembered for last year’s controversial ‘‘Rip n Roll’’ safe sex advertising campaign.

On Sunday, the Liberal National Party (LNP) government pulled $2.5 million in funding from the group, saying its initiatives to arrest HIV rates weren’t working.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says diagnosis rates are the highest in Queensland since figures became available in 1984.

Marriage Equality USA Welcomes NAACP Resolution

Marriage Equality USA  May 19, 2012

Marriage Equality USA is thrilled the national NAACP Board of Directors followed the lead of President Barack Obama and California Conference of the NAACP President Alice Huffman in confirming support for marriage equality. During the 2008 No on Proposition 8 campaign, Marriage Equality USA allied with the California Conference of the NAACP and is pleased to recognize the national NAACP as part of that continuing alliance.

Brian Silva, Marriage Equality USA Executive Director, stated, “The NAACP has been a long-time ally in the fight for marriage equality. Today's vote cements the bond of our common struggle to insure that all Americans are treated equally.  We thank our friends at the NAACP for their action today.”

Gay Marriage Ban Added To House Defense Bill

On Top Magazine  May 19, 2012

The Republican-led House on Friday approved a defense bill which includes two anti-gay amendments.

The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was approved with a 299 to 120 vote and now heads to the Senate. The White House has threatened a veto over the bill's $642 billion price tag – $8 billion higher than Congress agreed to last summer.

One amendment offered by Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri, protects chaplains who refuse to marry gay couples.

“Liberals may have successfully ended 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' but they should not be allowed to force members of our military to give up their religious beliefs,” Akin said in a statement. “That is simply unacceptable and and unconstitutional.”

A second measure bans gay marriage on any military facility. It says bases “may not be used to officiate, solemnize, a marriage, or marriage-like ceremony” that is not between a heterosexual couple.

The top six arguments against gay marriage (and why they all fail)

Chicago Tribune (blog)  May 19, 2012

I've been informally debating opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage for nearly 20 years and have a pretty good handle on their most frequently employed arguments. Today I helpfully list them and explain why none passes the test to which we would ordinarily put a prohibition.

Gay marriage violates tradition.

Yes, most cultures have defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman for hundreds if not thousands of years. But tradition is a mixed bag. It includes slavery and grotesque exploitation of workers, or course, the denial of rights to women and the execution of those who committed thought and property crimes.

Traditionally, we treated illnesses with ineffective or dangerous mumbo jumbo, cast aside the disabled and righteously persecuted those with differing religious views.

Integrating a society and expanding human rights has always shattered tradition, and we have consistently been better off for it.

Gay couples can't produce children.

Marriage is a reflection of the biological necessity of a one-to-one heterosexual union for procreation, true enough, and it provides a legal framework that strengthens that union for the benefit of all.

But that's not all marriage is, by any means, which is why the law generally allows prisoners to marry even when they're likely never to be released, has no bar against elderly couples getting married , imposes no fertility requirements on prospective marriage partners and considers long-term childless marriages equal to others.

Further, lesbian couples often get pregnant (with outside help, admittedly, but many heterosexual couples get outside help as well) and their families could benefit as well from the legal framework of marriage.

New Federal Standards Offer Unprecedented Protections to LGBT Prisoners

10 Thousand Couples  May 18, 2012

Thursday, May 17, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released the long-awaited National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape. These standards—the first of their kind—create an historic opportunity to put an end to the epidemic of sexual abuse in prison, which disproportionately affects LGBT prisoners.

Sexual abuse in prisons is so common that it’s a subject of jokes, but it causes severe and lasting harm to thousands of people each year. A report just released by DOJ shows that almost one in ten former state prisoners were sexually abused during their incarceration. For gay men, it was nearly 4 in 10. A separate survey reported that 15% of transgender people in prison were sexually assaulted; for transgender African-Americans, the number was 35%.

For gay couples ‘separate but equal does not mean equal’

Meriden Record-Journal  May 18, 2012

ong a devout Democrat, the Rev. James Olson of Meriden left the party after waiting too long, he said, to hear what he believes is a progressive stance from President Barack Obama on same-sex marriage.

“He lost me — I wasn’t going to vote for him. I had no intention of voting in November,” Olson said.

But like many gay voters, Olson has renewed his interest in Obama since the president publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage in an interview on ABC on May 9. The announcement was a shift for Obama, who previously said he thought civil unions were satisfactory for same-sex couples, and has caused conversation and political speculation nationally and locally in the weeks following.

Maryland's highest court recognizes same-sex divorce

USA Today  May 18, 2012

Maryland's highest court ruled Friday that same-sex couples can divorce in the state even though Maryland does not yet permit same-sex marriages.

The Court of Appeals ruled 7-0 that couples who have a valid marriage from another state can divorce in Maryland. The case involved two women who were married in California and denied a divorce in 2010 by a Maryland judge.

White House 'Strongly Objects' to Legislation Protecting Military Chaplains from Doing Same-Sex Weddings or Being Forced to Act Against Conscience

Beaufort Observer May 17, 2012

If you believe that the government should not dictate religious beliefs you are going to be disturbed by this story. We were. Here it is from CNS News:

The Obama administration "strongly objects" to provisions in a House defense authorization bill that would prohibit the use of military property for same-sex "marriage or marriage-like" ceremonies, and protect military chaplains from negative repercussions for refusing to act against their consciences, as, for example, in being ordered to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony.

Same-Sex Parents Lobby Congress For Equal Rights

NPR  May 17, 2012

On the edge of the National Mall on Thursday, dozens of moms, dads and kids pose for a group photo framed by the U.S. Capitol. They're just some of the approximately 700,000 same-sex families across the country, despite laws in some states that make raising children difficult for gay couples. Now, they've come to Washington to ask lawmakers to make their lives a little easier. 

"Today in the United States, there's kind of a patchwork of state laws," says Jennifer Chrisler, herself a same-sex parent and executive director of the Family Equality Council, which organized the lobbying day. Chrisler says public policy toward same-sex families is out of sync with reality. LISTEN TO STORY

Rhode Island Recognizes Everyone's Same-Sex Marriages But its Own

Yahoo News  May 17, 2012

You can't marry your same-sex partner in Rhode Island, but as of Monday if you marry him or her in another state, the Ocean State will fully recognize the marriage, The Associated Press reports. 

 It seems like an odd halfway measure between legalizing gay marriage and banning it, because making people cross the border from the nation's smallest state to tie the knot is really more of a slight inconvenience than anything else. But the gay marriage debate has been pretty divisive in Rhode Island, which enacted a bill legalizing civil unions last July, which Gov. Lincoln Chafee called imperfect but a "step forward," according to The AP via the Boston Herald. Chafee signed an executive order at the Rhode Island Statehouse Monday, recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages.

Since same-sex marriage is legal in every state that borders Rhode Island (that'd be Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York via Long Island Sound), and since the state is just about 40 miles long, that means you could simply go across the border and get married on your lunch break if you were so inclined.

A West Village Mural Weighs Gay Rights in the Middle East

New York Times (blog)  May 17, 2012

Even before the new mural at 111 Leroy Street in the West Village was completed, the mud was flying. On Queerty.com, an online magazine that covers gay issues, the mural was characterized as “heavy-handed” and worse. “Completely pointless and in poor taste,” one commenter declared.

Others counter-attacked, saying the mural was “celebrating a safe haven for LGBT individuals in Israel versus the surrounding region.”

Finished on Friday in time for the anniversary of the day that Israel declared independence Monday, the mural dominates a wall in a parking lot at the corner of Greenwich and Hudson Streets, an industrialized block close to the Hudson River piers, where gay men traditionally gather to socialize.

Same-sex marriage support shows diversity in African-American religious community

Washington Post  May 16, 2012

I commend President Obama for doing the right thing in expressing his support for marriage equality. As a president who has championed the cause of justice and equality for all Americans, his statement sends the right message at the right time. 

While some ponder the political impact of his pronouncement, I applaud him for exhibiting the courage and integrity to clarify his position, despite his current campaign for a second term in office.

As an African-American faith leader who pastors a black church, and who co-chaired DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality, I am heartened that this historic affirmation of same-sex marriage emanated from our nation’s first black president. For far too long, many have assumed that all black people are hopelessly homophobic and that black churches are united in their opposition to marriage equality.  The truth is that neither the black community nor the black church is monolithic.  Like others, we are diverse human beings who hold a rich diversity of ideas, opinions and points of view.

Senate panel approves benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees

Washington Post  May 16, 2012

A Senate committee approved legislation Wednesday allowing same-sex partners of federal employees to receive employment benefits.

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act with a bipartisan voice vote. It must be approved by the full Senate and the House before enactment.

Japanese lesbian can't wait for Disneyland "wedding"

Reuters  May 16, 2012

Like many Japanese women, Koyuki Higashi adores Tokyo Disneyland. So it was only natural that she would want to hold her wedding there, as many other couples have done.

"My partner and I just love going to Disneyland, so when we saw a pamphlet advertising wedding receptions by the Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland we called and asked if we could hold our wedding there," Higashi told Reuters in a telephone interview.

But Higashi is openly lesbian and her upcoming commitment ceremony is being characterised in the media as the first "gay wedding" to be held at Japan's Magic Kingdom.

International Day Against Homophobia

10 Thousand Couples  May 16, 2012

The Oxford Dictionary defines "homophobia" in the following way: "Homophobia (n): intense hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality."

However, I really don't think we need a dictionary to define it.  We all know what it is and someone who has it. What we don't seem to realize is how prevalent it is. What we don't know is how many of our LGBT brothers and sisters are affected by it every day, and across our wide world. We all have a hand in it, and we all have the power to eliminate the hatred, even if we can only go little by little.

Romney: Same-Sex Couples ‘Have the Right’ to Adopt Children--But Not Marry

CNS News  May 15, 2012

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he is opposed to same-sex marriage, but also that same-sex couples “have the right” to adopt and rear children.

“I also know many gay couples are able to adopt children. That’s fine," Romney said during a recent interview with Fox News's Neil Cavuto. "But my preference is that we encourage the marriage of a man and a woman."

Presbyterian body now supports minister who wed same-sex couples

Los Angeles Times  May 15, 2012

Days after President Obama announced support for same-sex marriage, the Presbyterian Church's Northern California governing body refused to rebuke a retired minister for performing same-sex weddings.

The Presbytery of the Redwoods, which governs churches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon Border, rejected the church's official denunciation and overwhelmingly threw its support behind the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr.

Those in favor of and those against gay and lesbian unions called the 74-18 vote a historic event in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which like other mainstream Protestant denominations has been struggling with the issue of sexual orientation for decades. Spahr performed the same-sex weddings when they were legal in California.

Analysis: Gay marriage decision not working in Obama's favor so far

Los Angeles Times  May 15, 2012

It’s been one week since President Obama, prodded into action by Vice President Joe Biden’s remarks on a Sunday talk show, granted Robin Roberts of ABC News an interview in which he revealed his personal policy shift on gay marriage. Whether or not Obama’s decision, and the way it was handled politically, will make a difference on election day is still anyone’s guess — and may always be. Parsing reactions by millions of individual voters, particularly on an issue that ranks far below other concerns for most Americans, obviously involves a measure of guesswork.

That said, the first wave of polling is in, and the results aren’t looking particularly good for Obama. Taken together, four different national opinion surveys over the past week, by reputable organizations with good track records, indicate that the president’s stand could well hurt him politically. Unsurprisingly, the numbers are fairly close; but as often gets pointed out, tight elections are decided by small numbers of votes.

UK Poll: 35 percent believe government should drop equal marriage plans

Pink News  May 15, 2012

51 percent of Britons think the government should go ahead with its plans to allow gay and straight couples equal access to civil marriage.

The figure is according to a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times.

Only 35 percent of those polled thought the government should drop the proposals to allow gay couples to marry in civil ceremonies, 14 percent said they did not know.

GOP kills civil unions in Colorado special session

BUY HERE: Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples

Boston.com  May 15, 2012

Gay couples who watched as Colorado lawmakers rejected a civil unions measure are taking comfort in the bill sponsor's mantra: It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when civil unions become law.

LGBT Iranians to speak in London as four men sentenced to death

Pink News   May 14, 2012

An event launching a report on the way the internet affects LGBT life in Iran will be hosted in London this week, days after it was announced that the country was to execute four men on sodomy charges.

According to a Human Rights Activist News Agency report last week, four men from the Iranian town of Choram were sentenced to death by hanging.

Israeli Ambassador to U.S. Applauds Country’s LGBT Rights Record

Edge on the Net    May 14, 2012

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren stressed during a speech at Equality Forum’s annual dinner in Philadelphia on May 5 that the Jewish State remains at the forefront of the global struggle for LGBT rights.

"Israel’s LGBT community is part of the fabric of Israel’s diverse and vibrant society," he said at the National American Museum of Jewish History. ...

Poll: Most Americans support same-sex unions

CBS News  May 14, 2012

A new CBS News/New York Times Poll shows a solid majority of Americans support legal recognition for same-sex couples - though not necessarily through the official act of marriage - and the number of people who do support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples is significantly higher among younger generations.

Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement Not Popular in Africa

Voice of America   May 14, 2012

American President Barack Obama's public support for same-sex marriage has sparked criticism in sub-Saharan Africa, where gay men and women continue to face discrimination, violence and jail time in many countries because of their sexual orientation.

Mother’s Day On Our Radar – Lesbian Supermoms Take On Family Equality

The New Civil Rights Movement  May 13, 2012

If their names were Ward and June, every right-wing “pro-family” group would be holding them up as the benchmark for family values. But they are not Ward and June. Their names are Jayne and April and today, their fight for “family equality” is On Our Radar.

Jacob was born with the odds stacked against him. One pound, nine ounces. A pharmacy of street drugs in his system. Abandoned by his drug-addicted mother. After four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the foster care system gave up on him too. His case worker asked one of the NICU nurses who was licensed for foster care, if she would take Jacob home, so she could comfort him while he died.

A Look at What Happened on Amendment 1 in North Carolina

Huffington Post (blog)  May 13, 2012

I spent much of the spring working on defeating anti-gay Amendment 1 in North Carolina. After the election I returned back from the Raleigh/Durham area and had a chance to chew on the outcome of Amendment 1. It's been my habit, after major wins or losses, to reflect on what went right and what went wrong, and offer some thoughts (see Maine 2009 Part 1 and Part 2, along with the 2009 New York State Senate fight on same-sex marriage here and here). Below are some of those along with some analysis.

AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OBAMA'S SAME SEX MARRIAGE STANCE

Examiner.com  May 13, 2012

In southern Los Angeles most would assume correctly that many are in favor of Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage regardless of their religious affiliation. The reason for this is that it boils down to equal rights and not a singular stance on marriage.  At one point homosexual couples were fighting for civil unions in order to be entitled to the same federal tax benefits as heterosexual married couples. However, when the national Christian right blocked any possibility of that type of institution, the GLBT organizations shifted gears and the fight shifted from civil unions to marriage equality. Hence, civil unions were abandoned. Many Christians are opposed to gay marriage from a Biblical perspective, but they are for equal rights under the law.  Many in full opposition of same-sex marriage laws fail to understand that government is meant to protect the rights of its citizens and not impose any one religious sects beliefs on the minority of its citizens.

Personal Ties Can Change Gay Marriage Attitudes

ABC News  May 12, 2012

In revealing his support for same-sex marriage, President Barack Obama attributed his change in thinking to a series of key conversations and experiences. Talking to members of his staff and gay service members in committed relationships made it more difficult to justify why they should not have the right to marry, he said.

Just as influential in his thinking, according to Obama, were dinnertime conversations with his 13- and 10-year-old daughters, who have friends with two mothers or two fathers.

Gay Marriage in Buddhism

Patheos (blog)  May 12, 2012

The first place I generally turn whenever I come across a broad ethical issue in Buddhism is Peter Harvey’s masterful Introduction to Buddhist Ethics. There we find a whole chapter devoted to “Homosexuality and other forms of ‘queerness’”.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Buddhism, like any ancient religion, has nothing in particular to say about Gay Marriage. It’s just not an issue that cropped up. Just as marriage wasn’t always a sacrament in Christianity – I believe it was added in the 11th century, meaning that for the majority of the religion’s history it hasn’t regarded marriage as a sacred event, not to mention reformers who wished to drop marriage as a sacrament, but that’s another story – Buddhism hasn’t seen marriage as anything other than a social institution.

But through Havey’s survey, what one comes away with is primarily a sense of acceptance and cultural malleability.